Archive for the 'YouTube' Category

30
Nov
11

Fit 2 Fat 2 Fit

By Heather Horsey 2 Comments
Categories: Business Strategies, business to consumer, Communications, Health and Wellness, Health care marketing, healthcare, healthcare marketing, Marketing and YouTube
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There are many diets and many work out programs today. People are always trying to find the best way to be healthy. At times trying to whip yourself into shape can seem impossible. Drew Manning is a personal trainer from Utah and he is going the extra mile to show that you can lose those pesky pounds and eat right. In May he started an unprecedented journey that has gotten worldwide attention. He was tired of hearing that he didn’t know what it was like to be overweight or unhealthy. So, he decided to start the journey of fit to fat to fit. He quit exercising and quit following his strict diet. He started eating without restriction and even let people choose meals they wanted to see him eat. After six months of an unrestricted diet and gaining more than 70 pounds, he has started his journey back to fit. Manning appeared on The Jay Leno Show and Dr. Oz where he shared his experience of exercising and breaking his new addiction to Zingers and Mountain Dew.

Manning has taken the phrase “lead by example” to heart. Rather than sitting on the sidelines coaching people about fitness, he is on the front lines showing them by example that it can be done. He is demonstrating an excellent way to communicate. People can understand more when they are shown rather than told what to do. People of all professions can learn a thing or two about Manning’s message.

I for one am looking forward to seeing him accomplish this goal and see the many people he will inspire. You can follow his journey at http://www.fit2fat2fit.com/.

P.S. Thanks to our long distance intern Jeff Larsen for this post.

19
Oct
11

How influential are you online?

By Heather Horsey Leave a Comment
Categories: Facebook, Flikr, Foursquare, Google Plus, Klout, Social Bookmarking, Social Media, Social Networking, Twitter and YouTube
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Have you ever wondered what presence you have online? There is a way to find out. Klout.com is a website that will measure your influence across your social networks. It takes your Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and any other social media sites and gives you a score. It uses variables from these sites such as friends, followers, retweets and posts. It measures these variables and gives you a score in three areas. Your true reach (how many people you influence), amplification (How much you influence them) and network impact (The influence of your network). It then combines the three scores and gives you a final score on a 1-100 scale with 100 being most influential.

Your True Reach is the number of people you influence. When you post a message, these people tend to respond or share it. Your Amplification is how much you influence people. When you post a message, how many people respond to it or spread it further? If people often act upon your content you have a high Amplification score. Your Network indicates the influence of the people in your True Reach. How often do top Influencers share and respond to your content? When they do so, they are increasing your Network score.

I’m sure by now you are at least a little bit curious about what your score might be. You should go play around on Klout.com and find out what your score is. Link it to your Facebook, Twitter, Google+, blog, LinkedIn and all your other social media sites to make sure you can get a score for all the sites you use.

Your score isn’t always going to be the same. You may sign on one day and be up a few points because more activity has been going on in your social media world and other days it may be down a few points because of lack of activity. You need to be consistently active in your social media to keep your Klout score increasing.

What is your Klout? Mine currently is 37. Share with us what you think of Klout and if there are other services that you think are more valuable.

02
Sep
11

Are we ready for flu season?

By Heather Horsey Leave a Comment
Categories: Communications, Facebook, Skittles, Social Bookmarking, Social Media and YouTube
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Are we ever going to have a worry-free season? In summer, we liberally apply sunblock to prevent skin cancer. In winter, we wash our hands often to fight against viruses. The spring brings pollen and allergies to battle and of course fall is the best time to get vaccinated against common flu. With flu season right around the corner we wanted to bring attention to public health communication in social media by taking a look at a successful campaign.

Social media has become an integral part of immunization communication for many public health organizations, nonprofits and health care providers. The Colorado Children’s Immunization Coalition (CCIC) has created an award-winning campaign, Immunize for Good, designed to answer parents’ toughest questions about childhood vaccines and reinforce a parent’s choice to vaccinate.

As a statewide nonprofit, CCIC works with community organizations, health care providers, public health departments, businesses and policy makers to ensure children get the vaccines they need to keep Colorado healthy. A 2010 national survey shows that while 88 percent of parents follow the CDC-recommended vaccine schedule, more than half, 54 percent, have concerns about vaccines. In response to these concerns, CCIC, in partnership with the Colorado Immunization Program and the Vaccine Advisory Committee of Colorado, launched this exciting and content-rich social media campaign in order to encourage parents to vaccinate and reassure them that they are making the best decision for their child’s health. Parents were informed about the benefits and potential side effects of the vaccinations thru Facebook and Twitter. The campaign was very successful, helping increase awareness of new studies proving the safety of immunization and helping answer questions for concerned audiences. This campaign showcases that social media can be a powerful tool to raise awareness for public health organizations and health care providers.

To learn more about what CCIC did to make a successful communications campaign, visit them on Twitter or follow them on Facebook. If you are looking for a way to learn more about social media and health communications, join me for a Coffee Talk session with the Colorado Healthcare Communicators on Wednesday, September 28. I’d be happy to discuss your organization and how social media might help reach your target audiences.

23
Jun
11

Creating Relationships with Consumers

By Heather Horsey 2 Comments
Categories: Ads, Advertising, Brand Loyalty, Branding, Business Strategies, Coca-Cola, Creative, Gorilla Marketing, Guerilla Marketing, Guerrilla Marketing, Marketing, Stunts, Video Ads, Viral and YouTube
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What does Coca-Cola mean to you? It is not just a big brand, Coca-Cola understands  how to connect with the heart of buyers. Their marketing campaigns WOW. They spend marketing dollars by giving back to customers and create a strong relationship with their audience with various unconventional marketing efforts.

Imagine a college student wants to get a coke from the vending machine but ending up getting more than she bargained for. In Coke’s most recent campaign, students get flowers, pizza, and even a huge sandwich from the vending machine. The Coke machine dispenses more than Coke product, it dispenses good will and happiness.

The viral nature of the happiness machine encourages consumers to create a true relationship with Coke. By establishing good will with consumers, especially in emerging markets, consumers will choose Coke because they like the brand – not to mention the taste.

Check out the rest of of the campaign’s viral videos here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqT_dPApj9U

What do you think about Guerilla marketing? How would it help your business get more attention? Tell us what was your favorite unconventional guerilla or viral marketing campaign was and share with us on Facebook at Weise Communications, follow us on Twitter @Weise_Ideas.

Thanks to Duysal Ekinci for her help with this blog entry.

10
Jan
11

The White House Communication Policy: Social Media (Thankfully) Enhances Press Conferences

By Tracy Weise 1 Comment
Categories: Communications, Facebook, Flikr, LinkedIn, Media Relations, Press Secretary, Social Media, Twitter, Uncategorized and YouTube
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We found out this week that the White House Press Secretary, Robert Gibbs, is out to allow for some fresh air in the press room. I read a lot of comments online about his skills, or his lack there of, with the press. Regardless of your personal preferences for Gibbs, as a PR professional I know he had an intense job. However, C.J. Cregg, he was not.

With the departure of Gibbs, I started wondering about the White House Communications in general. Barack Obama, as a presidential candidate, was a highly active participant in social media (or he hired really great people who were highly active users). Two years ago, Obama for President was a great story about how online marketing and social media can effectively raise money and gain exposure. His communications programs were exceptionally well executed, innovative, highly targeted and easily accessible to mass audiences. It was one seriously good way to help win a presidential campaign. And the story continues…

President Obama did not leave his social media savvy behind when he moved to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. I was a bit surprised to find the White House is all over social media. There has been a lot of criticism of President Obama about whether or not his promises for transparency were real. One thing you can’t criticize is the appearance of accessibility. Twitter feeds, Facebook and MySpace channels, Flicker and Vimeo feeds and a LinkedIn group. There is even a White House blog. I had no idea. If you want information that deals with the White House, you can find it with little effort.

I especially like the White House YouTube Channel. The West Wing Week series is a nice recap of the presidential happenings. And the weekly mailbag is interesting. Some questions have answers that are more entertaining and better delivered than others than others, but hey, a question or two gets answered weekly by someone who knows something. Honestly though, I can’t bring myself to watch eight hours of forum presentations. Honestly, I can’t even bring myself to watch eight minutes of it.

Kudos to the White House Communications team for their focus on social media. Keep it up.

Do you think the White House Communications team is doing enough or not enough to keep the country informed? Tell us what you think about their efforts here or on our Facebook site and keep up with all of our blog postings on Twitter.

05
Jan
11

Branding Content: How creating a persona for your brand creates ROI

By Heather Horsey Leave a Comment
Categories: Ad Agency, Ads, Advertising, Apps, Business growth, Business Strategies, business to business, business to consumer, commercials, Communications, Digital Media, Email, Facebook, Flikr, Foursquare, GOOP, personas, Social Media, Social Networking, Twitter, webisodes and YouTube
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Branded content is essentially a fusion of entertainment and advertising that has been around for decades, just think of soap manufactures and the soap opera. With social media and the increasing prevalence of mobile apps in our daily lives, branded content seeks to have an increasingly large role in marketing and advertising of brands in the future.

Branded content can be anything from a short film, music, game, blog, mobile app, newsletter, blogzine, microsite or real-life event. The content merely exists to entertain and educate the consumer, while conveying subtle brand messages in the mean time. But more than this, branded content creates a persona for your brand and helps engage target audiences in a reciprocal relationship.

The idea for a brand is to listen to online conversations and establish what interests your target audiences. Is there a need or desire for certain information? Can you provide that information in an engaging way?

The most successful branded content programs are able to blend messaging in a seamless and transparent fashion, while still getting the information across to the consumer. Branded content creation serves several purposes: customer entertainment, stealth advertising and social engagement.

An industry that has embraced branded content is the fashion industry (see Louis Vuitton’s NOWNESS), but other brands that get it right are:

The iFood application allows users to:

  • Email or print coupons for Kraft products or even add them right to your store savings card.
  • Find recipes and post the ones you love to Facebook
  • Scan and enter a barcode to add to a shopping list or find recipes
  • Print shopping lists, coupons, and recipes
  • Get detailed recipe directions and even video tutorials
  • Set alerts about planned recipes, recopies of the day or special offers
  • Find a retailer to buy your products

Now, tell me that wont build more consumer loyalty?

Branded content is about creating an experiential story; It’s about crafting stories though every communication tool – signage, display advertising, print, radio and television ads, that are then translated to the web, social networks and now mobile apps. In the end it really comes down to knowing your customer extraordinarily well. By consistently engaging your audience via editorial content that is expertly mixed into the e-commerce landscape, you can tie sales. The best social media and branded content executions out there are driven by narrative, not commerce.

Branded content is quickly becoming a cost effective, long-term online marketing strategy that industries will continue to utilize as brands and retailers look for new, innovative ways to connect with customers online.

What impact do you think branded content can have on consumer behavior and where do you think this technique is headed in the future? We’d love to hear, so post a comment on The Side Note Blog, send us a tweet @Weise_Ideas, or find us on Facebook: Weise Communications.

30
Nov
10

Five Marketing Trends for 2011 and Beyond

By Mark Plumb Leave a Comment
Categories: Advertising, Business Strategies, Communications, Facebook, Foursquare, Marketing, PR, Public Relations, Social Media, trends, Twitter, Uncategorized and YouTube
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As 2010 is drawing to a close, marketers reflect on the past year in order to prepare for next year as well as avoid mistakes and surprises. It is also a good time to reflect on changes and leverage some marketing trends. Here is the first Weise Communications list of marketing trends for 2011:

1. Marketing Budgets Shifting Toward On-line

Clients, customers and prospects are spending more time online and are going online earlier in the buying process to collect information, create relationships, compare choices and determine conclusion about the items they will buy. Therefore, marketers must reposition marketing budgets to reflect their customer and prospects preferences.

2. Corporate Social Media-ization

Many organizations have deployed social media campaigns on Facebook and Twitter. However, they have not fully integrated it into their corporate website.  Primarily, this is due to the pressure to simply “be there.” 2011 will bring social media/website integration and a recurring social media marketing cycle:

  • Research
  • Plan
  • Engage
  • Measure
  • Repeat

3. Location-based Marketing

As smart phone adoption grows, according to a 2009 study from nielsenwire the U.S. smart phone penetration is 17 percent, location-based marketing and mobile applications will be a key mobile marketing trend in 2011. As of October 2010, Foursquare had more than 4 million users and has spawned a slate of competitors: Gowalla, Google Latitude and the recently launched Facebook Places are just a few of the mobile applications poised to take advantage of this trend.

4. Video as a Marketing Tool

YouTube is not simply a way to share video clips. It has become a massive search engine. Video content that addresses common concerns and issues clients, customers and prospects are facing then distributing video through social networks is a powerful way to stamp impressions into their memory and strengthen customer relationships.

5. Privacy is a Major Concern

The Internet has made it easy for anyone to obtain someone else’s birth date and social security number. It also houses other personal and potentially embarrassing (but technically public) information. While some may never be comfortable with data nudity, marketers must be leaders the privacy protection issue as enterprise marketing gets more social and mobile. One high-profile mistake and the entire industry could face forced government regulation.

Tell us what marketing trends you see in your 2011 crystal ball, if we have missed the boat or if you have another trend to add to our list. Share your ideas with us on Facebook at Weise Communications and follow @Weise_Ideas on Twitter.

 

12
Oct
10

Building Social Media Campaigns that Work

By Mark Plumb Leave a Comment
Categories: Ads, Advertising, Business Strategies, Communications, Facebook, Franchise, Franchising, Marketing, PR, Public Relations, Social Media, Twitter, Uncategorized and YouTube
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Credit Unions tap into Young & Free Franchise

Whether you refer to them as Gen Y or Millennials, it is clear that this generation relies on social networking to engage, communicate and learn. One industry that is achieving tangible results with Gen Y through a robust and effective social networking campaign is Credit Unions.

Spokesperson Larissa's YouTube Video

Yes, Credit Unions.

Even though credit union’s cooperative values are in line with Gen Y values, this demographic (younger than 30) was simply not signing up for membership.  Until the franchise, Young & Free, was launched.  Based on the principle that we all learn from the knowledge and experiences of those who have previously traveled the path, Young & Free was challenged to provide free checking accounts for the younger than 25 year old consumers.  There is only one Young & Free franchise per state, so the Credit Union that buys into the franchise gets the exclusive rights to the entire program in that state.

Tim McAlpine, owner of Currency Marketing in British Columbia, launched the Young & Free franchise. In a 2009 interview, McAlpine said, “Young people want access to products that are relevant to them.” He continued, “The focus of Young & Free is what the credit union is giving away, what useful information it is offering and how the credit union is providing a head start for young people.”

A large part of the success of the Young & Free franchise concept is that the social networking program is real and authentic. The cornerstone of the program is a spokesperson competition.  A contest is held to select Young & Free spokespeople in each state. They win a one-year paid position with the sponsor credit union. Young & Free spokesperson writes daily blogs, produces weekly YouTube videos and connects on Twitter, Facebook.  The first spokesperson was Larissa Walkiw, click on her picture above to go to one of her YouTube videos.

Credit Unions have developed financial services tailored to Gen Y, the Free 2B packag  the e includes: Free checking, free debit card, free direct deposit and an ‘Oops refund’ (once per quarter a customer can waive overdraft charges – all they have to do is ask for the waiver).

In less than two years, there are now more than 40,000 credit union customers with products and services associated with Young & Free.  Additionally, Forrester Research gave Young & Free a Groundswell Award. 

What do you think? Have you seen social networking campaigns that are reaching their target market and getting results like Young & Free? Please write a comment and let us know. You can find Weise Communications on Facebook and follow Weise_Ideas on Twitter.

04
Aug
10

Social media tips and tricks – YouTube

By Heather Horsey Leave a Comment
Categories: Advertising, Marketing, Social Media and YouTube
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To continue our social media tips and tricks series, we offer some insights on YouTube and rich content in general.

The value of rich content, like videos, actually matures over time. So YouTube videos are a valuable asset in your social media arsenal. YouTube makes it simple for viewers to search your video collection, and allows you to collect valuable data and insights. YouTube is one of the world’s most trafficked sites, and received a higher percentage of searches than both Yahoo and Bing. The average person spends 15 minutes a day on YouTube – that’s five to 10 times longer than they’ll spend on your website. With these stats, it is obvious that YouTube is a great marketing tool for businesses.

Things to consider:

  1. Make your videos easy to share by allowing connection with the user’s social networks, like Facebook and Twitter.
  2. Ramp up engagement on your channel with user-generated content. Generally, these submissions will increase visits and views to your page.
  3. Keep it short. People are more likely to watch a video that is only a couple of minutes long-and if you’ve piqued their interest, they will likely stick around to watch more.
  4. Think like your customers, and remember no one will pay attention to your videos unless they entertain, offer utility and/or are relevant to their experience and needs.

Check out Weise Communications YouTube channel with our recently added videos.

02
Jul
10

Adidas: The Model for Integrated Social Media Campaigns

By Mark Plumb 15 Comments
Categories: Advertising, Best of, Branding, Digital Media, Facebook, Marketing, PR, promotions, Public Relations, Publicity, Social Media, Social Networking, Twitter and YouTube
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As a part of ‘Every Team Needs a Fan’ campaign, Adidas is teaming up with recognizable athletes Reggie Bush, New Orleans Saints; Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic; BJ Upton, Tampa Bay Rays; and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. of NASCAR to engage sports fans across the U.S. for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Adidas is the provider of the World Cup game ball and is extending their awareness at the global event with these four brand ambassadors.

Reggie Bush traveled to South Africa, in addition to conducting interviews with multiple media outlets, he shared a picture (right) on his twitter account with U.S. player Jozy Altidore (also an Adidas athlete) minutes after the U.S. beat Algeria.

Each ambassador is posting Facebook updates, they are tweeting during and between World Cup games. Each one has shot YouTube videos. (Dwight Howard’s is the most entertaining.)  To get people even more engaged, there is a competition for the ambassadors to get the most fans and Dwight Howard is hosting a watch party in Atlanta for one winner that signed up through Facebook.

Here are many of the locations the integrated social media campaign appears:

Twitter

Facebook

YouTube

Individual Websites

Adidas has done an exceptional job of extending their brand presence through athletes they have endorsement deals and having them cross-over into different sports which exposes fans of these other sports to these athletes and Adidas.

BJ Upton’s participation has been limited in this promotion, however he recently became embroiled in controversy and it is possible that Adidas downplayed his role in this campaign.  This shows Adidas flexibility to adjust the campaign on the fly and the flexibility of social media as a marketing tool to enable such adjustments.

Let Weise Communications on Facebook know about the best thoroughly integrated social media campaign you’ve seen.

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